Neuroimmune regulation of white adipose tissues

• Published in: The FEBS journal Vol. 289; no. 24; pp. 7830 - 7853
• Main Authors: Qian, Xinmin, Meng, Xia, Zhang, Shan, Zeng, Wenwen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Adipocytes - metabolism; Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Adipose Tissue, White - metabolism; Dendritic cells; Energy reserves; Eosinophils; Fatty acids; Homeostasis; immune cells; Immune system; Immunity, Innate; Leukocytes (eosinophilic); Leukocytes (neutrophilic); Lipids; Lipolysis; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Lymphoid cells; Macrophages; Metabolic disorders; Metabolism; Monocytes; Natural killer cells; neuroimmune; sympathetic; white adipose tissues; neuroimmune; immune cells; sympathetic; lipolysis; white adipose tissues
• ISSN: 1742-464X; 1742-4658
• DOI: 10.1111/febs.16213

The white adipose tissues (WAT) are located in distinct depots throughout the body. They serve as an energy reserve, providing fatty acids for other tissues via lipolysis when needed, and function as an endocrine organ to regulate systemic metabolism. Their activities are coordinated through intercellular communications among adipocytes and other cell types such as residential and infiltrating immune cells, which are collectively under neuronal control. The adipocytes and immune subtypes including macrophages/monocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), T and B cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and natural killer (NK) cells display cellular and functional diversity in response to the energy states and contribute to metabolic homeostasis and pathological conditions. Accumulating evidence reveals that neuronal innervations control lipid deposition and mobilization via regulating lipolysis, adipocyte size, and cellularity. Vice versa, the neuronal innervations and activity are influenced by cellular factors in the WAT. Though the literature describing adipose tissue cells is too extensive to cover in detail, we strive to highlight a selected list of neuronal and immune components in this review. The cell‐to‐cell communications and the perspective of neuroimmune regulation are emphasized to enlighten the potential therapeutic opportunities for treating metabolic disorders. The white adipose tissues are innervated by peripheral nerves, highly vascularized, and composed of a variety of immune cells such as macrophages, ILC2s, eosinophils, and T cells, in addition to adipocytes and stromal cells. We discuss how the neuroimmune regulation is crucial in mediating the intensive cell‐to‐cell communications to accomplish the key biological processes in energy balance, such as lipid hydrolysis and storage.